1. Field
This invention relates to attachments adapted for mounting on the front of vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a lift, shovel or bucket-type attachment structure adapted for such mounting.
2. Statement of the Art
Various quick-connect attachments have been suggested for affixing to vehicles for the purpose of improving or extending the utility of such vehicles. One of the most commonly known types of attachments is a snow plow blade. This type of attachment has been attached for years to the front of small trucks for use in plowing driveways, parking lots, and roads. A representative snow plow structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,880 (Boneta). The Boneta patent describes a generally curvilinear blade which is mounted to a undercarriage of a vehicle by means of a support assembly. The assembly includes a means of forcedly angling the blade. The blade is operated by means of a pneumatic cylinder.
Another example of a quick-connect snow plow attachment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,562 (Deen et al.). The Deen et al. snow plow assembly includes a snow plow blade fitted with a pair of fluid pressure cylinders which are adapted to modify the angle of the blade relative to the vehicle. In this construction, the cylinders pivot the blade about a vertical axis. Various other attachment structures are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,949 (Glesmann); U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,342 (Cooper); U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,432 (Biance); U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,109 (Den Bleyker); U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,539 (Staley); U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,903 (Arnold et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,377 (Goodwin); U.S. Pat No. 3,908,849 (Carroll); U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,186 (Molby) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,250 (Henderson).
One of the principal advantages inherent in the use of quick-release snow plow blades adapted for use with lightweight domestic trucks, is the ability to perform light plowing without the need to resort to expensive industrial graders and plows. It follows that quick-release snow plow blades have found considerable use and application in light plowing activities such as driveway, parking lot and road snow plowing activities.
While many snow plow blade attachments have been suggested for mounting to a vehicle, few, if any attempts have been made to provide a lift shovel or bucket-type attachment vehicles which is adapted for use in transporting soil, gravel or similar material during warmer seasons such as spring, summer and fall.
Understandably, it would be beneficial to be able to use a lightweight vehicle as a lightweight earth or gravel transport. Alternatively, the use of such a vehicle as a lightweight lift truck also presents many advantages to the routineer. It is contemplated that such a combination lift shovel and bucket attachment would find considerable applications in construction and plant nursery environments where a considerable amount of earth, plants, and other semi-heavy loads must be transported, yet the transport tasks are not of sufficient weight to make the use of industrial-type graders and plows cost beneficial. While the attachments suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,186; U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,849; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,250 have suggested some types of lifting means, these structures appear to be adapted specifically for use with heavy-duty or industrial-type vehicles. These attachments do not appear of the type which are mountable on conventional domestic trucks or vehicles intended primarily for highway use.
There continues to be a need for a lift, shovel and bucket-type attachment which is releaseably and detachably mountable to a conventional pickup truck whereby the pickup truck may function as a small, effective lift shovel or bucket. Not only may the attachment be used for moving earth, gravel, any loose-type material and sundry other types of soil, but furthermore, the attachment may also be used to transport articles such as potted plants, trees, or bags of cement, fertilizer, wood chips, and other articles typically found in the plant nursery or construction environment.